Commonweal
LightNews LightNews
banner
commonweal.bsky.social
Commonweal
@commonweal.bsky.social
2K followers 520 following 570 posts
A review of religion, politics, and culture since 1924, edited by lay Catholics. Subscribe here: http://commonwealmagazine.org/subscribe
Posts Replies Media Videos
Pinned
commonweal.bsky.social
Commonweal @commonweal.bsky.social · Dec 23
The January issue is here! Inside:
- George Scialabba on the end of verbal literacy
- Anne M. Carpenter on Balthasar and the Catholic right
- Sharon Mesmer on Patti Smith
- M. Anthony Mills on a MAGA attack on science
And more!
www.commonwealmagazine.org/issues/2025-...
commonweal.bsky.social
Bernard P. Prusak, theologian and longtime friend of Commonweal, passed away last Sunday.

In 2012, he reflected in our pages on his experience working the final session of the Second Vatican Council.

RIP.
www.commonwealmagazine.org/turning-point
Turning Point
www.commonwealmagazine.org
January 23, 2026 at 5:37 PM
commonweal.bsky.social
"The current pope has the mind of a mathematician and canon lawyer. He’s more cautious, a careful listener, and he thinks before speaking."

@heidischlumpf.bsky.social on Pope Leo's management acumen:
www.commonwealmagazine.org/schlumpf-leo...
Leo the Manager
Leo possesses the mind of a mathematician and canon lawyer. He has the makings of an effective manager—even of a sprawling organization like the Church.
www.commonwealmagazine.org
January 23, 2026 at 1:22 PM
Reposted by Commonweal
dominicpreziosi.bsky.social
The administration's assault on civil rights should be seen as part of a pattern beginning with Trump's pardon of Jan 6 rioters - and perhaps as prelude to interfering w midterm elections: the editors of @commonweal.bsky.social on the siege on Minneapolis
www.commonwealmagazine.org/editorial-tr...
State of Siege
Five years after whipping up a loose army of supporters to attack the U.S. Capitol, Trump has deployed a well-funded paramilitary force to execute his authoritarian agenda.
www.commonwealmagazine.org
January 22, 2026 at 9:43 PM
commonweal.bsky.social
"Trump said in a January interview that the only limit on his power is his own morality. That would be a catastrophe were it true."

The Editors on Trump's thuggish suppression of civil rights in Minneapolis:
www.commonwealmagazine.org/editorial-tr...
State of Siege
Five years after whipping up a loose army of supporters to attack the U.S. Capitol, Trump has deployed a well-funded paramilitary force to execute his authoritarian agenda.
www.commonwealmagazine.org
January 22, 2026 at 6:45 PM
commonweal.bsky.social
‘Of This World’ is a special podcast series co-hosted by ‘Commonweal,’ contributors Daniel Steinmetz-Jenkins and Nick Tabor. Listen to their interview with Molly Worthen, author of ‘Spellbound’ here.
www.commonwealmagazine.org/podcast/amer...
American Charisms
In the second episode of 'Of This World,' a special podcast series co-hosted by 'Commonweal,' contributors Daniel Steinmetz-Jenkins and Nick Tabor speak with Molly Worthen, author of 'Spellbound.'
www.commonwealmagazine.org
January 20, 2026 at 3:02 PM
commonweal.bsky.social
ICE unmasked is still ICE. The real problem isn’t the agency's wardrobe, but its mission.

Matthew Mazewski: 'A Dangerous Distraction'
www.commonwealmagazine.org/mazewski-mas...
A Dangerous Distraction
ICE unmasked is still ICE. The real problem isn’t the agency's wardrobe, but its mission.
www.commonwealmagazine.org
January 20, 2026 at 1:38 PM
commonweal.bsky.social
"All professionals, no matter their field, secretly desire a career without mistakes, without tough decisions, even without responsibility."

Ronald W. Dworkin on the dangers of AI in medicine:
www.commonwealmagazine.org/artificial-i...
The Dangers of Doctor Bot
AI touches on the deepest longing of professionals to be foolproof. But it cannot replace the judgment of a real doctor.
www.commonwealmagazine.org
January 19, 2026 at 4:33 PM
commonweal.bsky.social
"Peace-seekers today face a promising opportunity. Selective conscientious objection appears to have both philosophical and legal arguments in its support."

Bernard G. Prusak makes the case for a right not to fight:
www.commonwealmagazine.org/right-not-fi...
A Right Not to Fight
Peace-seekers today face an opportunity
www.commonwealmagazine.org
January 19, 2026 at 4:28 PM
Reposted by Commonweal
jimmcmanusph.bsky.social
This is an important article from @commonweal.bsky.social Magazine for anyone interested in Science Policy #science #sciencepolicy #publichealth

www.commonwealmagazine.org/culture-war-...
The Culture War Comes for Science
The Trump administration has exploited and exacerbated the problems besetting science. Our moment demands a new contract answerable to the scientific needs of American society.
www.commonwealmagazine.org
January 18, 2026 at 10:58 AM
Reposted by Commonweal
heidischlumpf.bsky.social
What does Catholic Social Teaching have to say about the Renee Good killing? My latest for Commonweal:
January 19, 2026 at 4:18 AM
commonweal.bsky.social
As the Trump administration moves the country further into fascism, the times demand an even stronger defense of the human dignity of all life—including Renee Good’s.

A reflection by @heidischlumpf.bsky.social:
www.commonwealmagazine.org/good-ice-min...
Renee Good’s Dignity
As the Trump administration moves the country further into fascism, the times demand an even stronger defense of the human dignity of all life—including Renee Good’s.
www.commonwealmagazine.org
January 17, 2026 at 5:00 PM
Reposted by Commonweal
johnwfarrell.bsky.social
My latest for @commonweal.bsky.social www.commonwealmagazine.org/jaki-stanley...
Was Modern Science Born of Christianity?
Priest and physicist Stanley L. Jaki argued that the Christian faith birthed modern science. Was he right?
www.commonwealmagazine.org
January 17, 2026 at 2:02 PM
commonweal.bsky.social
@heidischlumpf.bsky.social: The Trump administration condemned Renee Good not for what she did but for who she was.
www.commonwealmagazine.org/good-ice-min...
Renee Good’s Dignity
As the Trump administration moves the country further into fascism, the times demand an even stronger defense of the human dignity of all life—including Renee Good’s.
www.commonwealmagazine.org
January 16, 2026 at 6:09 PM
commonweal.bsky.social
"Page by page, I found this novel as engrossing as anything he has written, yet I would hesitate to propose any distillation of its theme."

William H. Pritchard on Ian McEwan’s duplicitous ‘What We Can Know’:
www.commonwealmagazine.org/ian-mcewan-w...
Formulae that Don’t Formulate
Ian McEwan’s showmanship and characteristic misdirection is on full display in his latest book, ‘What We Can Know.’
www.commonwealmagazine.org
January 15, 2026 at 1:49 PM
commonweal.bsky.social
In France, ordinary citizens submit their grievances, or doléances, to the state. Will their government actually listen?

Laurie Johnston: 'Grievance Politics, French Style'
www.commonwealmagazine.org/grievance-po...
Grievance Politics, French Style
In France, ordinary citizens submit their grievances, or doléances, to the state. Will their government actually listen?
www.commonwealmagazine.org
January 14, 2026 at 1:09 PM
commonweal.bsky.social
"MAGA has turned the soft power the federal government historically exercised over America’s research enterprise into hard power over its political enemies."

M. Anthony Mills: The culture war comes for science.
www.commonwealmagazine.org/culture-war-...
The Culture War Comes for Science
The Trump administration has exploited and exacerbated the problems besetting science. Our moment demands a new contract answerable to the scientific needs of American society.
www.commonwealmagazine.org
January 13, 2026 at 1:24 PM
commonweal.bsky.social
"Requiring each person to save enough to support themselves on their own until they’re one hundred years old encourages a way of living inimical to a thriving society."

Nate Bernhard essays on the corrosive influence of the 401(k):
www.commonwealmagazine.org/bernhard-nat...
The 401(k) Is Tearing Society Apart
Individual retirement accounts like the 401(k) have become the backbone of our retirement system. They are a key contributor to the precarity unraveling the social fabric.
www.commonwealmagazine.org
January 11, 2026 at 3:11 PM
commonweal.bsky.social
Individual retirement accounts like the 401(k) have become the backbone of our retirement system. They are a key contributor to the precarity unraveling the social fabric.

Nate Bernhard: What if Americans have got retirement all wrong?
www.commonwealmagazine.org/bernhard-nat...
The 401(k) Is Tearing Society Apart
Individual retirement accounts like the 401(k) have become the backbone of our retirement system. They are a key contributor to the precarity unraveling the social fabric.
www.commonwealmagazine.org
January 9, 2026 at 2:37 PM
commonweal.bsky.social
Leo has introduced, in his gentle style, a different way to govern the Vatican—one that is more mindful of the need to work together with all those in the hierarchy.

New analysis from @massimofaggioli.bsky.social:
www.commonwealmagazine.org/curia-massim...
Signs of Departure
Leo has introduced, in his gentle style, a different way to govern the Vatican—one that is more mindful of the need to work together with all those in the hierarchy.
www.commonwealmagazine.org
January 8, 2026 at 1:09 PM
Reposted by Commonweal
ronhogan.bsky.social
“Inauthentic rightward turns are not only lazy; they also stand in the way of a new and energetic cultural politics that might actually meet our perilous moment—one marked by the optimism and expansiveness that made Mamdani’s campaign so refreshing.”—Stephen McNulty, @commonweal.bsky.social
Roti and Roses
At his inauguration, Zohran Mamdani offered a substantive and beautiful glimpse into what local leftist politics can look and feel like.
www.commonwealmagazine.org
January 6, 2026 at 10:08 PM
Reposted by Commonweal
dominicpreziosi.bsky.social
Trump turns the U. S. into a rogue nation: the editors of @commonweal.bsky.social
on the disgrace and dangers of the invasion of Venezuela
www.commonwealmagazine.org/editorial-ve...
Trump’s Pyrrhic Victory
Trump has made clear his intention to turn the United States into a reflection of himself: a rogue nation with the methods and morals of a mob boss.
www.commonwealmagazine.org
January 6, 2026 at 11:01 PM
commonweal.bsky.social
The toppling of Maduro is an operation worthy of a mob boss.

The Editors write on Trump's Pyrrhic victory in Venezuela:
www.commonwealmagazine.org/editorial-ve...
Trump’s Pyrrhic Victory
Trump has made clear his intention to turn the United States into a reflection of himself: a rogue nation with the methods and morals of a mob boss.
www.commonwealmagazine.org
January 6, 2026 at 8:53 PM
commonweal.bsky.social
Paul Kingsnoth's 'Against the Machine' beguiles, then befuddles, then bores.

Brad East reviews:
www.commonwealmagazine.org/kingsnorth-p...
A Cooked Ascetic
Paul Kingsnoth's 'Against the Machine' beguiles, then befuddles, then bores.
www.commonwealmagazine.org
January 5, 2026 at 1:28 PM
commonweal.bsky.social
"Radical individualism is a virus that is extremely difficult to eliminate, for it is clever." — Pope Francis
www.commonwealmagazine.org/freedom-equa...
Freedom & Equality Aren’t Enough
Francis’s latest encyclical exhorts us to realize the fuller lives that we are called to live.
www.commonwealmagazine.org
January 3, 2026 at 4:04 PM
commonweal.bsky.social
"Where we end up—in the dystopian Torment Nexus or a new world of broadly shared abundance—turns on whether we appreciate the logic of Christian democracy." — @sohrabahmari.bsky.social
www.commonwealmagazine.org/future-chris...
Escaping the ‘Torment Nexus’
The fate of the twenty-first century turns on whether we appreciate the logic of Christian democracy and of the social teaching that inspired it.
www.commonwealmagazine.org
January 3, 2026 at 4:02 PM